Lock and Key
by Gemna
Summary: One particular night, Sugao Saitou forgets his keys at the recording studio.
1. Chapter 1

_**Lock and Key**_

**1**

Sugao Saitou was not prone to fits of swearing. However, on this particular day, he was happy to make an exception.

His recording studio was located on the top floor of one of Tokyo's more formidably-sized buildings, and after having reached his car—currently located in the lowest level of the parking garage beneath said building—Saitou realized that he had forgotten his keys.

He sighed as his stomach gave a rather loud rumble. It had been a tiring day, especially since his top star seemed intent on doing anything besides work.

Daydreaming during meetings, humming when she was supposed to be recording, and her cell phone always in her hands, her thumbs busily tapping away at the keypad—Aino Minako had been acting less like the professional singer that she was, and more like a young girl in love.

…Could it be?

Saitou punched the button for the elevator and stepped inside, mulling over that last thought. When it came down to it, Minako was indeed still a young girl, compared to many in the idol business. She wasn't a child anymore, that was certain, but in even in her early twenties, she was barely a woman grown. Besides, when on earth would Minako have even found the time to fall in love? Her schedule kept her very busy; he knew she didn't see the few close friends she possessed nearly as often as she would have liked, particularly the young beauty who worked at Hikawa Shrine, Hino Rei.

He smiled to himself, a plan forming in his head. Rei and Minako were very close, that much Saitou knew. Perhaps the young priestess had an insight as to whether or not his hunch was true. He could certainly ask her the next time she came around the studio. Even if Minako had sworn Rei to secrecy, Saitou suspected he might be able to trick the answer out of her. Minako wasn't the only one in the studio who was excellent at acting, after all.

Saitou glanced at his watch and sighed again as the elevator continued to climb. Next time, he thought, he would build a studio in a shrine, surrounded by nature and greenery—but wait, most shrines had a great deal of stairs and no elevator to speak of. He envisioned trying to transfer a grand piano and recording equipment up a mountainside path and winced.

Perhaps the skyscraper wasn't so terrible after all.

His thoughts drifted back to Minako and the identity of her secret lover. Saitou was sure now that that was the reason for her odd behaviour, having seen similar symptoms in others in the past—as well as having spent a great deal of time watching dramas through the years. If Rei proved to be stubborn in keeping the secret guarded, Saitou resolved that he would simply confront the source itself, and demand an honest answer from Minako.

Guilt would likely be the best tactic, given that Saitou was her long-time friend—practically family—how could she possibly keep something so momentous as her first love from him?

There, that was perfect.

Especially since Minako often used the same tactics on him to get something she wanted—usually food or sweets.

That was a possibility as well, actually, using food, Saitou thought as the elevator doors opened (_finally_) and he wandered down the empty corridor toward his office. The office door was wide open of course, given that in order to lock it, he'd need his keys, but strangely, they were not sitting on his desk as he'd previously thought.

He rifled through the drawers for a moment before he recalled that he'd gone directly from the recording sound booth to his car after the final session with Minako had ended for the day. He'd been so frustrated that he must have left his keys right beside the mixing board. He had barely nodded in response when someone had greeted him as he'd stalked onto the elevator in a huff.

Saitou's stomach rumbled again while he hurried towards the recording booths down the hall, hoping he was right.

He pushed open the door to the mixing room and was about to flip on the light switch when he realized that there were two people on the other side of the soundproof glass—people he knew very well—who were deep in conversation as they sat on the stools next to the recording microphone. Saitou ducked down behind the soundboard, hoping he hadn't been seen. The two continued talking, unaware of his presence.

Saitou's conscience gnawed at him over what he was about to do, but he tried to ignore it as he surreptitiously flipped the microphone switch on.

"—ugao-san's not mad at me, is he, Minako?" Hino Rei's voice, clear and lovely echoed through the mixing booth. Why, oh why didn't that girl have any idol aspirations?

"What? No, Shacho thinks the world of you, Reiko! Why would you think that?"

Saitou wondered the same thing as Rei shrugged her shoulders. He also grinned at the idea of the stoic young priestess being the willing recipient of such a cute nickname.

"He—he just didn't seem very happy with me when I came here today is all. He barely even blinked when I said hello to him by the elevator earlier."

A dangerous glint appeared in Minako's eyes and Saitou swallowed, suspecting he was in for it later. He'd had no intention of insulting the idol's best friend. He felt his insides twist with guilt. He'd have to find some way to apologize later for the slight.

"Don't worry about it, Reiko." Saitou noticed for the first time that the two young women were holding hands. "He was probably worn out from putting up with me all day. I was so excited about seeing you that I couldn't do anything right."

A rosy blush, one like Saitou had never seen before on her, covered Minako's cheeks. If that weren't surprising enough, a similar one was covering Rei's as well.

"Okay, well—I-I was just wondering what I might have done to offend him, but if you say it's your fault, then I guess I can relax."

Saitou had to bite his fist to keep from roaring with laughter at Minako's expression—he'd forgotten momentarily that he was in a soundproof booth and wouldn't have been heard.

"I thought maybe he'd found out," Rei said in a low voice. "Like he couldn't even stand the sight of me."

"Oh, Reiko, no. He wouldn't do that."

Saitou was utterly perplexed by these remarks, but his curiosity was piqued. He leaned forward, as if that would help him hear their conversation better.

"So then why haven't you told him yet, Minako?"

The idol sighed and leaned against Rei. Saitou began to feel as though he was intruding on a very private moment, but he just couldn't bring himself to switch off the microphone and leave. He shushed his conscience again and continued eavesdropping.

"I-I guess one part of me's still a bit scared. I mean, I think he'll be okay with it, but I still can't be sure until I actually come out and tell him. And then besides that I'm worried about who he might tell. I mean, he used to be a journalist, right? This is, as they say, 'quite a scoop.'"

Saitou's heart began pounding erratically. He was sure they had to be discussing Minako's mysterious lover—whoever that was—although he felt a twinge of hurt that Minako feared he would immediately blab the story to the news outlets. Even when she'd been plagued with a strange illness as a girl—which had inexplicably disappeared without a trace overnight—Saitou had not breathed a word about it to another soul. He had wondered sometimes if even her family knew how desperately ill she had been…

He shook his head to clear it, still listening to the conversation at hand.

"I understand, Minako." Rei had shifted her position, having released Minako's hand in order to sling an arm across her shoulder and hug her close. "I guess I haven't told my elders yet for similar reasons."

Minako gave a wry laugh. "After everything we've faced together, _this_ is what inspires fear in us?"

"Facing down a friend can be a lot harder than facing down an enemy," Rei murmured.

"Yeah." Minako smirked. "New subject?"

Saitou mouthed 'no' frantically, biting back a growl as Rei returned the smirk and nodded.

They hadn't even mentioned the name of Minako's lover, and Saitou was more confused than ever, especially since it seemed Rei had a big secret of her own.

He tried to ignore the growing sting of hurt and frustration as he switched off the microphone and leaned back, belatedly remembering he'd come to the booth to collect his keys. Despite the darkness, he spotted them resting next to the sizeable soundboard, but before he could reach for them, the occupants of the recording booth had inadvertently grasped his undivided attention again—and answered all of his lingering questions in one fell swoop.

His star performer, Aino Minako, was indeed in love, he had been right about that, but never in a million years would he have guessed who she had fallen in love with.

There could be no doubt as to the emotion behind the kiss he was witnessing.

"Oh my god," Saitou breathed. He instinctively ducked down again as the—he swallowed—_lovers_ broke apart and smiled at one another.

How long had this been going on? This was huge! Was it serious? Oh, god help him, his hand was reaching for the microphone switch of its own accord—

"—vote we continue this discussion in my dressing room. Sound good?"

Saitou blinked and hurriedly switched the mic back off. He still couldn't pull his eyes away as Rei, who always struck him as being rather quiet and shy, grinned deviously and stood to help Minako out of her seat. Hand in hand, the two left the recording studio, turning off the light as they left.

Saitou sank to the floor, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He waited several minutes before finally leaving the sound booth, pointedly avoiding the corridor where Minako's dressing room was located, and hurried towards the elevator.

He and Minako definitely needed to have a conversation about what he'd just witnessed but—oh god, how would he even bring up the topic without sounding like a complete and utter pervert? He buried his face in his hands after the doors had closed, his hunger forgotten.

Japan's beloved idol, treasured singer, gifted actress…was in love with another woman.

The press was going to eat them both alive when they found out. Especially Rei. How someone who hated the limelight so much had Aino Minako as her best friend—no, her _lover_—was beyond Saitou's comprehension.

What in hell was he going to do about this?

"I need a drink," Saitou grumbled as the elevator doors opened to the parking garage. When he reached his car he realized just how much merit the idea had.

His keys were still in the recording studio.

O~O~O

**Author's note:** There is more to come. It's actually all written, but because I'm a giant jerk (or rather a super-neurotic individual who feels that the later chapters could stand some more polish but this part may actually be fit for human consumption), it's getting posted in portions. Feel free to point out any quirks, quarks, quacks and quibbles. Or just a thumbs up or thumbs down. I'm not picky.

Thanks to all who read. Every hit makes me happy. …that makes me sound like a junkie. Oh, let's face it. I kind of am. For reviews. ~ G


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

"Shacho, are you all right?" The concern in Minako's eyes was palpable as she accepted a cup of espresso from one of his assistants. "You don't look well."

Saitou grumbled something incoherent and downed his own scalding cup of espresso in one shot. He didn't miss the muffled snort from beside him as he waved his hand for another.

The two of them were seated at the large table in the recording studio's sizeable conference room, complete with its incredible view of the Tokyo skyline, going over the itinerary for an upcoming planning meeting in Rome.

That had been the original plan, at any rate.

The morning had come entirely too early for Saitou, especially since he'd been forced to spend the night in a nearby love hotel on a rock hard mattress, being periodically woken up by sounds that only served to remind him why he was staying there in the first place. As a result, the second cup of espresso he had just inhaled was serving as his life's blood—and for the first time in he didn't know how long, Saitou was not doing the majority of the talking.

"Better get him a third cup," Minako murmured to Saitou's assistant. "Maybe put it in a regular-sized coffee mug, too."

"Bring the whole carafe," Saitou demanded, feeling the espresso begin to kick in. "Perhaps an intravenous needle as well."

"You don't put espresso in a carafe, Shacho," Minako said, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Well, they _should_," Shacho fired back. He stared enviously at the nearly full cup his top star still held. "Imagine the money we could make."

"Oh, the money I bring in isn't enough anymore?"

"No, but it's the perfect amount to help me get this espresso carafe idea off the ground. Hiroki-san! Why aren't you taking notes?" Saitou called to his assistant who was busily trying to make him a third espresso. He winced as the young man was promptly attacked by a spray of steamed milk.

"Oh my god, Hiroki-san!" Minako leapt to her feet and hurried over to help. "Are you okay?"

Hiroki nodded mutely, his face bright red as he tried to mop up his sodden face with his sodden sleeve. "I'm sorry, Aino-sama. I-I'll clean this up and—"

"No, you need to go and make sure that you haven't been seriously burned. Take the rest of the day off, and have the hospital send me your bill."

"A-Aino-sama, I'm okay, r-really—"

Minako's expression hardened. "Hiroki-san, are you quite certain that you want to argue with your boss?"

Hiroki stuttered for a moment before bowing quickly and hurrying out of the room, nearly stumbling as he did.

With a sigh, Minako grabbed a stack of the napkins usually saved for larger meetings, and knelt to mop up the mess that covered the conference room floor.

"You aren't really playing well with others these past couple of days, are you, Shacho?"

It was more a statement than a question. Saitou inhaled slowly, awaiting the attack he was certain was coming. He'd had a feeling he wouldn't need to wait long.

"You're barely doing more than smile and nod in this planning meeting, to prepare for yet another meeting that you yourself set up ages ago—which you have barely stopped talking about since, I might add, and now Hiroki-san might be seriously hurt—"

"Minako-chan, Hiroki-san walked out of here under his own power. I highly doubt he's on death's doorstep—" Saitou started to say, but the idol ignored him.

"—and yesterday you snubbed my—my best friend for no reason at all! My best friend, Shacho! I know I wasn't exactly on form yesterday, but you do not ever, _ever_ take your frustrations with me out on Rei!"

Oh, how Saitou wished this conversation could have waited until he'd gotten a proper night's rest. Then perhaps he would be able to ignore the bubble of hurt and anger growing in his gut, and then, perhaps, he wouldn't be about to say something he would surely regret…

"Don't you mean 'Reiko,' Minako-chan?"

Several emotions flitted across Minako's face as her cheeks paled. Wordlessly she went over to the door Hiroki had exited through and locked it. She seemed to be bracing herself against it and was visibly trembling.

"How do you know that name, Shacho?" she asked, her back still to Saitou.

"Last night. In the recording booth, Minako-chan. I saw you two together, I heard everything—"

Minako whirled around, her expression livid. "You were _spying_ on us?"

"It was purely accidental, uh, ish." Saitou cringed inwardly at his poor response. Really, though, there was hardly a cheerful, positive way to have this conversation. Unless liberal amounts of sake had preceded it, he thought ruefully.

"'Accidental'—how _dare _you—"

While his own actions had been far from noble, the sting of Minako's mistrust abruptly burst forth. "No, how dare _you_, Minako-chan!" Shacho got to his feet, knowing he could only incriminate himself further with every word, but still, he went on. "How dare you keep something like this from me? And how could you think for even a moment that I would betray you? Don't you know me at all?"

The idol's cheeks had regained their full colour. "Considering you were eavesdropping on a private conversation, I don't think I was too far wrong to think you might have done just that."

"Yet here we are hours later, and the press is still oblivious to this situation. But if you aren't more careful—"

Minako's eyes widened in shock before narrowing venomously. "You had better not be threatening me with blackmail, Shacho."

Saitou took a step back, completely stunned by the accusation. "Y-you really think I would do such a thing to you? Minako-chan?"

Minako crossed her arms, her eyelashes glimmering with unshed tears. "I don't know. Would you?"

Saitou felt his own eyes beginning to burn and he blinked furiously. "Do you really think so little of me, that I would sell you out? I would never—but someone else could have seen what I did—"

"It still doesn't excuse the fact that you were eavesdropping on us!" Minako hissed angrily.

She swiped at her cheeks, betraying just how upset she was. The idol was usually a master at concealing her true emotions. Saitou felt his heart tighten at being the cause of her distress.

"It-it doesn't, you're right. I'm ashamed of myself and my actions, Minako-chan." He sighed shakily. "But, anyone could have seen you in that booth!"

Minako scoffed and turned away. "So what?"

"'_So what?'_ Minako-chan, you're the nation's top star and you were making out in a recording booth with another woman—"

"We were _not_ making out, Shacho—"

"—who just happens to be the only daughter of one of Japan's highest ranking politicians—"

"I _know_ who her father is—"

"—and who the press could utterly destroy with their constant scrutiny and surveillance given how much she abhors being the centre of attention! Did you think about that at all, Minako? Before kissing her in a room with _windows_ for walls?"

He couldn't see the idol's face to read her expression, but the set of Minako's shoulders told Saitou he had her full attention.

"Once this gets out, there won't be any going back. Not for either of you." Saitou ran a hand over his face, his exhaustion returning ten-fold. "If you care about Rei-chan, you need to think about how your actions affect her as well."

His heart gave another twinge when he heard a faint sob. "Minako-chan—"

"I need to go."

Before Saitou could utter another word, the idol had flipped the lock, pushed open the door and vanished.

O~O~O

Amazingly, Saitou had the presence of mind to collect his keys before leaving the studio.

He reflected later, while reclining on the sizeable couch in his apartment that he had likely been in no fit state to drive, given that he barely recalled the journey home. The remains of the takeout he had halfheartedly consumed lay strewn across his coffee table, and his head was beginning to pound from his lack of sleep.

Although it was hardly the first time Saitou had had a disagreement with his top star, in this case, calling it 'a disagreement' was to put things mildly. In all the time he had known Aino Minako, Saitou had never seen her so angry.

He couldn't blame her, of course. His actions had been downright idiotic and no amount of hurt feelings on his part could change the fact that he'd knowingly and willingly betrayed her trust.

People had asked questions before he'd left the studio, most of which he managed to brush off easily enough. He'd turned the reins over to another of his assistants for the day after telling everyone to keep their mouths shut or they'd be seeing pink slips with their next pay stub.

Still, he had no doubt that people would be talking. After all, first Hiroki had fled from the conference room covered in steamed milk, then before long, muffled shouting could be heard emanating through the locked door. That alone had been surprising enough, but then Minako had emerged red-faced and clearly upset, followed shortly by Saitou himself, pale and shaking as he stumbled towards his office.

"I'm such a fool," Saitou growled, pinching the bridge of his nose. It seemed that his headache was turning into a full-blown migraine. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to dispel the odd flashes at the edge of his vision, to no avail.

Minako used to get headaches, he recalled suddenly, through the haze of pain. She'd had one the day they'd met. It had come from nowhere, as if she'd been struck. Saitou had been terrified when the cheerful, smiling twelve-year-old girl had suddenly clutched at her head and bent double before losing consciousness in the studio hallway.

He had stayed with Minako at the hospital that day, as she tossed and turned in a fitful sleep, her arms connected by wires and tubes to heart monitors and intravenous drips. He'd spent most of the time wondering where on earth her parents were, until the doctor eventually discharged her several hours later into the family housekeeper's care. It seemed the girl's parents were frequently away on business and could not be reached. Saitou had been quite disgusted by this revelation, but said nothing at the time, as it was hardly his place. After all, who was this Aino Minako to him, really? Just a student who had come to the studio for a class trip...

_Saitou was busily trying to ignore the mountain of paperwork that covered his desk when the sound of a guitar caught his attention. Welcoming the distraction, he pushed his chair back and stepped into the corridor of the recording studio, and wondered where the music was coming from._

_ The studio was a maze of hallways, offices, and recording booths, which Saitou knew like the back of his hand, having practically grown up there. His mother had started the business when he was young, and her status allowed Saitou to receive his education alongside the young stars that made their music there. As a result, he had received a second education, as he also learned what sounds had the potential to become popular, what behaviour would not be tolerated from a famous idol, and most of all, that what many of these people wanted in their lives was a semblance of normalcy. Those who lost themselves in the lifestyle usually became lost as well. _

_ Saitou was still fairly new to running the entire company on his own, having given up a promising journalism career to allow his mother to retire only a few years before. In order to keep her son from relying upon her for assistance, she had settled down at his uncle's property in Hawaii. Never one to stay idle for long, she had taken up work at a small seaside resort, and when she had last spoken with her son, she was in talks to buy it from the aging owners. _

_ The young company president cocked his head, listening. A troop of laughing students scampered nearby, followed by the voice of their harried teacher. Saitou had forgotten that there was a class visiting the studio that day. He shut the sound out, still trying to find the source of the guitar. He recognized the tune as a popular American hit, and realized he must be getting closer as he heard a sweet young voice singing the lyrics in English._

_ Turning down another corridor, he spotted an open door and made his way towards it as the song concluded, to much applause._

_ His eyes widened at the sight of several idols sitting around a little schoolgirl—she couldn't have been more than twelve—who was smiling shyly and holding a guitar._

_ The applause stopped when one of the idols noticed Saitou standing in the doorway, and leapt to her feet with a bow._

_ "Shacho—I'm sorry, we were just—uh—"_

_ He raised a hand and smiled, bowing back. "May I ask who our young visitor is?"_

_ The young guitarist stood and bowed deeply, still holding the guitar. "My apologies, sir, if I've caused any trouble. My name is Aino Minako. My school is here for a visit today and I got separated from them—Yuichi-kun and Michiko-chan found me—" she gestured to the girl who had leapt to her feet earlier and to a young male idol who was still gazing at the girl with rapt attention. "They were kind enough to show me around the studio and then we came in here to watch the band rehearse—"_

_ "Minako-chan, you should play another song," Yuichi interrupted in a dreamlike voice. He apparently still had no idea Saitou was standing behind him. There were a few snickers which immediately halted when Saitou narrowed his eyes. Yuichi snapped out of his trance and leapt to his feet, gazing meekly at the studio president before lowering his eyes._

_ "Sorry, Shacho," he murmured._

_ "You all need to return to work please. I'll escort Aino-san back to her class."_

_ The musicians stood and hurried from the room, after saying farewell to the young girl. She bowed back, grinning from ear to ear. Her expression immediately cleared as she regarded Saitou, and blushed when she noticed the she was still clutching the guitar._

_ "You're very talented, Aino-san. There aren't many who can escape the sights of our studio tour guides undetected."_

_ Minako nodded, trying to appear humbled, but he could see a glimmer of mischief in her gaze. Apparently the girl could act as well._

_ He stepped back, mentally appraising her. She exuded a feeling of maturity that was rare, even among some of his older stars, and she was already very beautiful—dark-haired, with lively eyes... _

_ Saitou shook himself, faintly stunned by his sudden idea. How could he possibly even think of signing someone so young? After all, he had only heard a few moments of her performance—a performance that drawn him from several corridors away..._

_ Minako hurriedly averted her gaze from Saitou, and held out the guitar, her cheeks glowing._

_ "Minako-chan—" the girl's eyes widened in surprise at the change in honorific. "Would you play something else for me?"_

Saitou bolted awake, apparently having dozed off during his recollections. He could still hear strains of the guitar echoing in his subconscious, and wondered if the dull throb at the front of his skull was causing him to hallucinate—but then recognized it as his cell phone's ringtone.

The display told him it was an unknown number, so it was with some trepidation that he flipped the device open and answered.

"Sugao Saitou."

"Hi, uh, Sugao-san. It's Rei. Hino Rei. Can we talk?"

O~O~O

**AN**: Gawd, I hate writing drama and fights so hard. I always just want to crack out the jokes instead because I just want the stupid fight to ennnnnd. I hope it was believable and such.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Rei didn't look up at Saitou's approach as she swept one of the winding pathways of Hikawa Shrine. "Minako told me the two of you had a fight," she said, by way of greeting.

"Hello to you too, Rei-chan," Saitou quipped, hoping to keep things light, if only for a little while. "Is she here?"

"Not at the moment, no. She and my Sensei have gone to pick up some ice cream. They might be awhile." Rei smirked but continued sweeping. "Choosing the right flavour can take some time."

Saitou snorted before he could stop himself. He'd long since lost track of how often Minako disappeared at a moment's notice for ice cream or sweets. Perhaps he'd stopped counting because the idol often brought some back for him as well. He let out a breath, his tiredness still threatening to overtake him.

"How upset is she?" he asked softly.

The strokes slowed but didn't halt. "In her place, what would your own feelings be?"

"Much the same, I imagine."

"Then you have your answer." Rei finally stopped her sweeping and stared right at him. "She didn't give me details. All she would tell me is that you know about—about me and her." Her cheeks were pink but her gaze was unwavering. "She thinks you don't approve."

"I never said that. I only—" Saitou growled in frustration. "I just don't want to see her get hurt."

"…Y-you think I'm going to hurt her?" Rei looked stricken.

"What? Oh, no, Rei-chan, nonono! I just meant—she's world famous and you're—well, your father is—it's just—" He swore under his breath. "Even without those factors, things won't be easy for either of you. Believe me, I—I know."

Rei's eyes widened slightly as understanding flickered through them. The corners of her mouth quirked into a smile and she resumed her chore. "Minako and I do have conversations occasionally, Sugao-san. We've talked about this already."

"So you're all right with people knowing?"

Rei paused briefly. "Eventually. Minako wants to keep things quiet for now."

Saitou snorted to himself. She was doing an excellent job of it so far. "Am I the only one who knows?"

"No," Rei shook her head. "Our closest friends know."

Saitou crossed his arms, and huffed, annoyance surging through him once again. "And just what am I then? I knew Aino Minako long before she met any of you!"

Rei's mouth quirked again, as though she was enjoying a private joke. Her gaze turned sympathetic. "Is that what's really bothering you, Sugao-san? That she kept it from you?"

The cold feeling of hurt and shame washed across Saitou again. He spotted a nearby stone bench and slumped onto it heavily. "Why didn't she tell me?"

After a moment, Rei sat down beside him, still clutching her broom. "Well—was it easy for you to tell your loved ones, Sugao-san?"

Saitou blinked and sat up. "What?"

Rei twisted the broom handle nervously in her palms. "Your loved ones. W-when you told them? You weren't scared about it at all?"

"I—" It took Saitou a moment to realize what Rei was talking about. "Oh, god, I was so terrified," he whispered, remembering the countless nightmares he'd had, the way his entire body had trembled when he'd finally had the courage to tell his mother… "I thought they might hate me."

"Is that why you never told Minako, then?"

"Wh—I-I just assumed she knew. I mean I'm not exactly—she—" Saitou buried his face in his hands. "God. I'm such an idiot."

"Reiko, we're back! They were out of Neapolitan so we got—oh."

Saitou looked up at the familiar voice and felt his stomach churn with anxiety. Minako immediately averted her eyes. Meanwhile Rei had gotten to her feet to bow to the middle-aged priest who accompanied Minako.

"Welcome back, Toshihiro-sensei."

"Thank you, Rei." The priest returned the bow awkwardly since he was laden with a large grocery bag. "As Minako-chan was saying, we got a container each of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla to make up for the gross lack of Neapolitan."

"I see. And whose idea was this?" Rei asked, looking stern.

At the same time, the priest and Minako pointed to one another. Saitou snorted with laughter, but stopped when Minako's expression darkened again.

"Um, why don't I get this put away before it melts?" The priest gave Minako a gentle nudge with his elbow and smiled. "Thanks for going to the store with me, Minako-chan."

Minako nodded. "No problem, Sensei. Could you please save me some?"

Toshihiro chuckled. "Of course. Rei, help me out with this, would you?"

Rei started in surprise. She had been staring at intently at Minako, her cheeks pink. Saitou swallowed a grin. He was honestly amazed he hadn't figured things out sooner. "Uh, oh—yes, Sensei." Rei made to follow her teacher.

"Rei-chan, before you go—well, I—thank you." Saitou wondered when he'd become so inarticulate.

"I didn't do anything, Sugao-san, but you're very welcome." She turned again to go.

"Oh, and Rei-chan?"

"Yes, Sugao-san?"

"Please call me Shacho."

Rei smiled warmly. "Thank you, Shacho."

Why, why, oh _why_ didn't that girl have any idol aspirations?

O~O~O

_The singer stepped out of the doctor's office into the quiet corridor, her features ghostly pale. Saitou's heart leapt into his throat as he got to his feet. Her face was a mask, her eyes unfocused._

_ "Minako-chan?" he asked softly. "What did the doctor say? Do we need to postpone—"_

_ "It's gone, Shacho."_

_ "What's gone, Minako-chan?"_

_ "Everything."_

_ Saitou swallowed when he noticed the damp trails on Minako's cheeks. "W-what do you mean, everything's gone? M-Minako?"_

_ The singer looked up at the lack of honorific. She appeared to be in a state of shock. "It's exactly as I just said, Shacho. It's gone. Disappeared. Vanished. Opseyo—"_

_ "Opsa-what?"_

_ "Not here. Non-existent. There's—there's no trace of anything at all. M-my blood tests were negative, bone scans are flawless, MRI, CT—I'm in p-perfect health." _

_Saitou couldn't decide if Minako was about to laugh or cry._

_ "Minako-chan, h-how?"_

_The singer shrugged and a bewildered smile began to cross her face. "They don't know! They called it a miracle, Shacho, I—" She began sobbing suddenly, still smiling. "I d-don't need s-surgery anymore because there's n-nothing they need to r-remove!" _

_Wordlessly, Saitou pulled his top star into a hug. She was beginning to look as though she might topple over at any moment. He felt his own eyes begin to sting when he realized just how terrified he'd been at the prospect of losing Minako forever. While he was closer to her than any of the other idols he'd ever worked with, Saitou wondered sometimes if Minako had any idea what she meant to him._

"_I'm so glad," he murmured. _

"_C-can we get ice cream, Shacho? Before we head back to the studio?" _

"_Minako-chan, you really want to go back to work on such a momentous occasion?" He stepped back and regarded the young woman seriously. "Shouldn't you take the rest of the day off? Celebrate?" _

_She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Well, we've got a lot of preparing to do before my next tour, don't we? And besides, we both know I'm happiest behind a microphone. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than that."_

_Shacho sighed and they turned towards the elevator. The girl was ever the workaholic. But perhaps that was one of the many things he had always admired about her. "I suppose that's true. But first, what kind of ice cream do you want?"_

"_A large kind." Minako's smile was laden with mischief for the first time in awhile and they both burst into laughter..._

O~O~O

Minako's expression was cold. "What are you doing here, Shacho?"

"Rei-chan called me."

Minako scowled in the direction that Rei had taken. "I told her I'd talk to you when I was ready." She stalked past Saitou with her arms crossed and leaned against an aging tree, still avoiding looking at him. "I'm not leaving her, Shacho, so you can forget even thinking about trying to persuade me otherwise—"

"I wasn't going to—"

"—and if I have to, I'll manage my own career, if you don't care to be associated with me anymore—"

"Minako-chan—"

"I mean, it's not as if you're like family to me, or one of my best friends, or someone who's known me for almost half of my life, who's stood by me and kept my secrets and helped my dreams come true—" Minako's voice began to waver as she rambled on. "It-it's not like you're one of my m-most important people or anything like that. W-why do I need your approval?"

It was strange to see the normally confident and self-assured young woman looking so vulnerable. Saitou could have kicked himself for hurting her the way he had. "You don't need my approval, Minako-chan," he said quietly. "Not for anything. But you have it."

Minako froze and raised her eyes. "I-I don't? I do?"

"Always, Minako-chan." He managed a half-smile. "I know your friend Tsukino-san claims to hold the title of your number one fan, but next to me? She can't compete."

Minako gave a watery giggle. "Sh-Shacho, I—"

"No, just a moment, Minako-chan. I need to apologize. What I did was stupid, and idiotic, and foolish—"

"Little bit."

Saitou frowned at the singer and was met with an impish smirk. He suspected he was already forgiven, but he went on anyway. "Do you mind? I'm trying to apologize here."

Minako giggled again and waved an airy hand, inviting him to continue.

"Anyway, I-I'm so sorry for what I did, Minako-chan." He tugged nervously at his collar and bowed. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

"Hm, I suppose so, Shacho. But, on one condition."

Saitou straightened up and gulped, remembering a time when he'd been forced to sing karaoke for an audience of strangers due to a prank he had played on the singer. "Er, n-name it."

"I want a hug." Minako opened her arms and gave him a plaintive look.

Saitou laughed with relief at the simple request. "Rei-chan won't be jealous?"

"Shacho, do you mind? I'm trying to forgive you here."

O~O~O

**AN: One more chapter for you, dear readers! I like reviews. I like **_**you.**_** I hope you liked this chapter too.**


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

"Can I ask how long this has been going on?" Saitou said later, as he and Minako sat side by side in the Hikawa grounds. They were each laden with the remains of sizeable ice cream cones, courtesy of Rei.

Minako's gaze grew thoughtful at the question. "I guess it's been about—uh, well, um—awhile?"

Saitou spluttered with amusement. "You don't know?"

"W-well, it's kind of complicated, I-I mean, do you mean when did we get together, when did we first meet—"

"Ohh. First kiss then. I want details. I bet you kissed her, right?"

Minako turned bright pink and grinned. "A-actually, Rei kissed me."

"No! Shy little Rei-chan made the first move?"

"After I had lobbed several anvil-sized hints at her, yes."

Saitou snorted. "Hm, yes, that sounds about right."

Minako elbowed him playfully. "You be nice."

"Is she a good kisser?"

"Shacho!"

"Well?"

Minako sighed. "She's incredible. Can we move on, please?"

"To more questions? Absolutely."

Saitou laughed at the growl he received in response. He took another taste of ice cream and smirked at how much further along Minako was with her own cone.

"Shut up," she grumbled, as if reading his thoughts.

"I said nothing. I wonder though—I take it your family doesn't know yet?"

"No. They won't care, probably. I mean, they might not like it, but I don't care either way what they think of me."

"Have you talked to them lately?" Saitou had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Minako shook her head, confirming his suspicions. "They're never home when I call. I've had some good phone visits with Jin Su-unnie, though."

Saitou thought of the kindly young housekeeper who collected Minako from the hospital all those years ago when she'd been so sick. "Did I ever thank her for introducing you to karaoke?"

"No, but I have. She gets to go on holiday whenever and wherever she wants, and she could retire any day if she chose, but she doesn't know how to not work."

"She sounds like another excellent person that I know."

Minako rolled her eyes and finished the last of her ice cream. "I'm mystified as to who you might be referring to."

Saitou gave a cheeky wink. "Well, I was referring to me, of course."

"Of course."

They fell into a companionable silence for a moment, as Saitou tried valiantly to prevent his ice cream from dripping onto his fingers.

"How come you never told me?" Minako asked.

"Mff?" Saitou quickly swallowed the large mouthful of ice cream he had just taken and felt his throat go numb. "Gah! Cold!" He shivered, despite the warm afternoon and his skull began to tingle. "I never told you what?"

Minako quirked an eyebrow and gestured in Saitou's general direction. He ducked his head, feeling embarrassed. "Oh. Well, uh, to be honest, I thought you already knew."

"I did wonder, but I—I wasn't sure if it was my place to ask, and besides—" Minako leaned against his shoulder, "—it really didn't matter to me."

Saitou's eyes welled up. He was so exhausted that he would not have been a bit surprised if he completely lost his head and started weeping all over his top star. "Well," he said, trying to keep his voice level, "I feel pretty foolish about all this now. Especially since I completely missed what was going on right under my nose."

"And you call yourself a former journalist." Minako smirked.

"I guess the career change was a good idea then, hm? I should have clued in when you asked if Rei could come to Rome with us. Or maybe when you threatened my life if I booked you for anything at all the following week."

Minako giggled. "At least now Rei and I don't have to be all secretive around you anymore."

"Just promise me I won't see any more trysts in the recording booth." Saitou pretended to shudder, and squawked when Minako swatted his arm.

"Hey, you're the one who always says that the recording booth is where the magic happens."

Saitou groaned at Minako's insufferable grin, and made a note to never utter that phrase ever again.

"What _were_ you doing there anyway?" Minako asked.

"Heh, well, actually I—I forgot my keys in the recording booth."

"Again? Are you serious?" The singer was incredulous. "This whole mess was caused by you forgetting your _keys_?"

Saitou shrugged. "C'est la vie. And for your information, I don't forget them _every_ day." He ignored her scoff of disbelief and took another lick of ice cream. It was going to turn to liquid any moment. "So I guess you won't want me tagging along with you and Rei-chan around Rome, hm?"

"Oh, Shacho, don't be silly, of course we want you to join us—" The impish gleam in Minako's eyes made Saitou instantly wary. "—someone needs to take photos of me and Rei together at all the big sites!"

"Hm? What was that? You'd like to wear the rest of my ice cream? Hey!" Saitou had waved his cone in Minako's face and the idol had taken the opportunity to steal a large bite.

Minako licked her lips daintily and accepted the rest of the ice cream from the now scowling Saitou. "What I said was that I'm very much looking forward to seeing Rome, Shacho." She smiled angelically. "Speaking of which, I suppose you and I need to head back and continue with the planning meeting?"

"Actually—" Saitou rubbed at his eyes. "The day's nearly finished, Minako-chan, and to be honest, so am I. Tomorrow?"

Minako laughed. "That sounds good. I'll bring the espresso carafe."

"Hiroki-san will be relieved."

"No doubt. Oh, here, you might want these." Minako dangled Saitou's keys from her free hand.

"What the—how—"

"You should get a jacket with deeper pockets before we leave, Shacho. I hear pickpockets run rampant in Rome."

"And Tokyo too, apparently," Saitou grumbled, snatching back his keys. They had been entirely too troublesome of late. Perhaps he needed to find a way to remedy that. He spotted a flash of red and white through the dense foliage surrounding them. "Your lady approaches. I guess that's my cue to go."

Minako blushed as Saitou got to his feet. "Drive safe, Shacho."

"I will. You two behave yourselves now."

"Shacho!"

Saitou turned with a smirk, and made his way down the many Hikawa steps, very much looking forward to spending the next several hours with his pillow.

O~O~O

_Despite the unprecedented situation in the doctor's office hours before, Saitou had been only a little amazed by Minako's determination to return to work. _

_While the singer was wildly popular across the continent, she had surprisingly few close friends. In fact—Saitou struggled to recall as he watched the girl in question singing her heart out before the recording studio microphone—did she have _any_ friends her own age at all? It was strange to think that someone so beloved might actually be very lonely._

_Saitou watched Minako as she continued to sing, her sweet voice echoing into the sound booth, a blissful smile on her face. She definitely had another hit on her hands. Saitou wondered if anyone else observing had noted the subtle changes in the singer's attitude since their return from the hospital—not that anyone else had known the purpose of their visit. As far as the rest of their coworkers knew, it had been a routine checkup and nothing more._

_Suddenly Minako's expression went curiously blank before it turned confused. Her eyes widened in obvious alarm, as though she had forgotten something incredibly important. Slowly, methodically, she extracted herself from her headphones, and without a word she dashed from the recording studio._

"_Minako-chan!" Saitou nearly decapitated one of his techs in his attempt to follow the girl, but of course, that split second had made all the difference. By the time he made it to the hallway, Minako was long gone._

_He swore under his breath and hurried back to his office, nearly tearing it apart in search of his cell phone before he remembered that the stupid thing was in his pocket._

_Well over an hour passed before he got through—it was as though something was interrupting the signal—and he would have sworn his thumb was losing feeling from hitting redial seven thousand times._

"_Hi, Shacho."_

"_Minako-chan! There you are! I've been so worried! Where the hell did you run off to in such a hurry?"_

"_I know, I'm sorry. But I just remembered that I forgot, um, something."_

_Saitou snorted, impatience coupling with his worry. "It sounds terribly important for you to have left without even a word."_

"_Yes, it was very important actually."_

"_I don't suppose you're going to enlighten me?"_

"_No. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."_

_He ran a hand through his hair, fighting the urge to swear like a sailor. "Oh for the love of—will you please at least tell me where you are?"_

"_Where am I? I'm with my—my friend. Rei. You'd like her, she's idol material."_

"_Oh, really." He just barely noted the lack of honorific, and wondered just how long Minako had been keeping this friend of hers a secret. "Seriously, Minako-chan, I'm worried about you, even more so than all the other times you've disappeared on me—"_

"_What? Shacho, you're exaggerating! You talk as though I always pull stunts like this—"_

"_No, but the word 'constantly' comes to mind—"_

"_Oh come on, not constantly. Rarely?"_

"_Regularly, frequently, occasionally—"_

"_Oh fine, _occasionally_, we'll go with that. And speaking of going…"_

"_Minako-chan, don't you dare—" _

_A soft click told Saitou that the singer had ended the call. When he hit redial and received a message informing him that Aino Minako was not available to take his call, he was sorely tempted to simply fire off a profanity-laced diatribe, but eventually resisted. He had, after all, told the singer earlier that she should take the afternoon off. He heaved a sigh and left his message._

"_Have fun with 'Rei', Minako-chan. You two behave yourselves." He closed his phone and smiled to himself. At least she wasn't alone. And she definitely sounded happy._

_Since the recording session had ended prematurely, Saitou decided that he too would take an early night. It had been an exhausting day. He bid his staff farewell and entered the elevator for the long journey down to the parking garage, still wondering what on earth Minako had remembered so suddenly. Save for the occasional school assignment, the singer was usually anything but forgetful. Saitou smiled to himself for encouraging the behaviour in her. A good memory was an important quality to have in this business, he'd often told her, and it was something Saitou prided himself upon. _

_Except for one unfortunate constant, he realized, not for the first time, after reaching his car. _

_Saitou had once again left his keys in the recording booth._

O~O~O

Meanwhile, as Sugao Saitou was in the blissful throes of slumber, his top star Aino Minako and Shinto priestess Hino Rei were using their rare free time to select a special gift for him at a shop downtown.

"How about this one, Minako?" Rei asked, holding up a lanyard covered in musical notes.

The singer shook her head. "Too ostentatious."

"What? You wanted to buy him a hot pink sparkly one! How was that not too ostentatious?"

"It was practical! With that colour, he'd never lose his keys again!"

"Yeah, I guess, but it was hurting my retinas!"

"Oh, really." Minako unzipped her jacket. "Pop quiz, what colour is my shirt?"

Rei's eyes widened. The shirt was rather tight-fitting and low-cut. "W—umm…hot pink?"

Minako laughed. "And are your retinas in any pain?"

"I can definitely say no."

Minako blushed and zipped up her jacket, giggling at Rei's sudden pout. "Oh! This one is perfect!" She held up another lanyard for Rei to inspect.

"Red and orange elephants?" Rei wrinkled her nose, looking rather skeptical. "Are you sure?"

"They never forget, Reiko."

"Shacho certainly won't, with those colours."

"Just for that, _you_ get the pink and sparkly one." Minako stuck her tongue out at Rei and turned to head for the cash register. "Gotta attach your new keys to something."

"New keys? For what?"

Minako spun back towards Rei and winked. "For my apartment," she whispered. "Which, incidentally, is where you and I are headed after this."

Rei was momentarily frozen in place as Minako sauntered towards the cashier, humming _Romance_ under her breath.

"Reiko, come on!"

The idol's voice pulled Rei out of her daze, and she hurried to catch up, utterly failing to keep her grin under control.

O~O~O

**AN**: Well, I sure hope the end was a satisfactory one for everyone involved. I ain't sure about it meself, but I honestly had nooo idea what else to do with it. Maybe there's still another chapter waiting to be written? …maybe. Maybe. Just maybe. Uh, to be continued? Maybe?

Please do be so kind as to drop me a review! I also want to send shout-outs to everyone who's asked me to write stuff about Minako's past, because that's pretty much where this story came from, as well as another I'm working on. Thanks again for reading! ~ G


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